08 September 2009 12:42 PM

In an era where extra charges rule the roost and Ryanair think it's appropriate to charge more to fly your luggage then they do to fly you, it's nice to see a little innovation from Thomson that allows you to calculate some of the extra costs of a holiday.

The www.thomsonexcursions.co.uk website gives passengers the chance to view and book more than 600 excursions in 55 destinations that range from from swimming with dolphins and horse riding on the beach, to hot air balloon rides and safaris on the Masai Mara.

Whatsmore, you don't even need to have booked your holiday through Thomson to use the website.

If you're already cheering at the thought of not being hassled by a rep to buy extras in resort though, think again. The package giant says: 'You will be able to contact the Thomson team to discuss your excursion at anytime during your stay.' I guess you can't always have everything...

04 September 2009 10:12 AM

It has always struck me that - like the army always being prepared for the last war it fought - airport security is worryingly aimed at the last threat, rather than anticipating the next. And, having a glimpse of what the next threat might be, I'm even more worried.

After 9/11, we are all being searched for box-cutters. After the shoe bomber, we are all having our shoes checked - even flip-flops. (The fact that the last plane on 9/11 and the shoe bomber were both prevented from carrying out their objectives by the passengers overpowering the terrorists surely means we might be better off carrying our own weapons on board, of course. But that's an argument for another day.)

Last week there was an assassination attempt on Saudi Arabia's Deputy Interior Security Minister, who is in charge of counter-terrorism.. A Saudi al-Qaeda terrorist, based in Yemen (now that's turning into a worrying place), said he wanted to reform and give himself up personally to the minister, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef. After being flown to the Saudi capital, Jeddah, undergoing security checks at Najran and Jeddah airports, and spending some weeks in prison, he had his audience - and then blew himself up. Where had he hidden the bomb? In his anus.

Fortunately, as you might expect, the blast was down and out, so the minister was unharmed. You might say the attempt backfired.

Remember that advice your mum always told you about wearing clean underwear when you went out? Worth bearing in mind the next time you face airport security.

02 September 2009 9:06 AM

Nice to see EasyJet, probably the most sympathetic of the low cost airlines, come to the rescue of SkyEurope passengers.

Sir Stelios's team has offered passengers stranded by the failure of SkyEurope a 'return home' fee of just euro 40 on overlapping routes, which include: London – Prague – London, London - Vienna – London and Milan – Prague – Milan.

The offer is available until 23.59 (pedants) next Tuesday and to claim, passengers need to call 0870 6 000 000 (from UK) or 899 676 789 (from Italy) and quote their original reference number.

When the press release came into my inbox, the euro 40 price had an asterisk next to it and my original thought was that there would be a host of T&Cs attached to it such as having to fly at certain times or not including taxes... but the footnote simply said: 'Includes all taxes and charges'.

So for once, I can't be cynical about an offer and unless proved otherwise by reader experiences telling me differently, I have to say: Well done EasyJet.